Pros
-There was a respect for life/work balance -The atmosphere is fun and creative -Decent makeup and skincare GRATIS! -Really cool co-workers; a decent mix of male and female. -Has an overnight stock team as well, so depending on your hiring contract you may be able to negotiate very flexible hours for your lifestyle -20% discount on all items, 40% discount for Sephora Collection products, 10% off extra during the holidays -the job may be retail and hourly but it's kind of glamorous to say you work there (as opposed to say, a fast food joint) -depending on the needs of the store, you might be asked to fill in different positions on a day-to-day basis besides your official title, so you get experience in all aspects of the store -don't have to open credit cards! -YOU DON'T WORK ON COMMISSION! -...but they still have a bonusing system! When the store profits, everyone gets a bonus in their paycheck! -Excellent training (that is, when management remembers to send you to Sephora University) -Occasional free lunches provided either by the store or by brand reps -I never had a problem scheduling time off, but that may be management-dependent -Not perfect communication but daily "touch-bases" were way better than at my previous jobs.
Kontras
-Getting ready every day without rushing took me about an hour once I did my hair and full face makeup. Natural looks are not encouraged; you must be wearing visible color or the season's inspirational looks. -Typical retail butt kissing needed with managers to advance at all. Get ready to play the favorites game. -Customer service is stressed as the absolute priority. You are always "On Stage" so don't even think about letting that smile slip when a client treats you disrespectfully! -Employees cannot use gift cards with their discounts, so forget asking friends and family to get you one for Christmas! -Working here for a makeup/skincare addict is kind of like an alcoholic working at a liquor store. -Clients will judge you heavily based on your age/looks/condition of your skin and decide you couldn't possibly help them because you're not their race/old/young/have acne/don't have enough wrinkles/have too many wrinkles/etc. -if you are seasonal, be aware that in your contract they CAN LET YOU GO WITHOUT NOTICE.